


And Reality Tore Like Tinfoil

by Jyou_no_Sonoko



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Demons, Doom, Eldritch Terrors, Gen, Quarantinemates, Witchcraft, Witches, and all that heavy stuff but also, and they were quarantinemates, lockdown - Freeform, supernatural threat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jyou_no_Sonoko/pseuds/Jyou_no_Sonoko
Summary: Deep within Hell, a demonic herald awakens to the sensation of a realm-shattering threat, leading Lucifer to seal Hell for safety, stranding Lilith on the mortal plane. Also aware of the threat, Lilith decides to alert the magic-users of Greendale, and is forced to enlist the aid of the handful of humans who know about the magical aspect of the nexus-situated town, as all witches go under lockdown.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 32
Collections: And They Were Quarantinemates





	1. Chapter 1

i

In the back of a tight, jagged cave in the broiling depths of the Ninth Circle of Hell, a wiry, coal-coloured creature unravelled itself, raised its triangular head, pricked up its ears which were shaped like the dead leaves beneath an oak tree. It had slept for two and a half thousand years, but was now roused to mounting alertness by the sound of reality tearing slowly open, somewhere on the mortal plane. The familiar ring of it sent the creature's skin tingling, and it unfurled three sets of backwards-bent knees, shaking the dust from its ancient joints, and first crawled and then scuttled, exited the cave and continued straight up the cliff-face, towards the infernal court of Pandemonium, to alert its Master, as was its only remaining purpose.

ii

The woods of Greendale may have been an extremely risky place for some people to tread, especially if one were to wander too deeply into the places where elemental spirits made their homes, and who were not overly enamoured by the existence of man.

But for Lilith, staring up at the canopy, while the airy mixture of birdsong and forest whispers played in her ears, it was as safe as anywhere else. It did not matter the face she was using, the spirits knew her by scent, by taste, by the graceful and controlled way she moved.

As she approached a river, she heard the subtle splash which told her that a river spirit had been watching her, but had then lost its nerve and slipped wisely underwater. She smiled, enjoying the feeling of being respected in such a wordless, primal way. It was so seldom a feeling she encountered these days.

She considered stripping off her autumn dress right then and there, and diving in to give chase to the spirit, just for the thrill of it. But just as her shoulders tentatively freed themselves from fabric, a sensation ran through her, from every extremity at once.

It was as if an immense mountain, composed entirely of chaotic shards of metal and glass... had coughed.

After the sudden and absolute paralysis had left her bones, she found herself shivering in pure animalistic terror, and with great physical difficulty, she waved her hands in a spell of teleportation, as her instinct insisted she return to Hell. But instead of opening a portal, her hand slapped against an invisible barrier, felt cold to the touch.

_No._

_They've sealed Hell._

_It's coming, and I'm trapped outside._

It had been so very long since the first time she had been around for the occurrence, but her spirit recalled it with dreadful clarity. If she could not retreat to Hell, she would need to find safety here, in the mortal realm.

And, for the sake of witch-kind -- for all that many of them didn't deserve her help -- she would have to alert as many magic-users as possible. Before the death toll was too great to fathom.

iii

Zelda glanced at the sending stone on her desk, gleaming onyx with a human profile carved into it. She longed to pick it up, feel it in her palm, even if she did not make use of its magic. But with a room full of students, she would not take that sort of risk; it might, after all, make her seem sentimental, which a directrix must absolutely not be.

So instead, she frowned pointedly at the essay before her, pausing only to raise a meaningful eyebrow at the student carrying on a _sotto voce_ conversation with their desk-mate, which immediately dealt with the issue.

It was quite incredible how quickly everything had gone back to normal. No matter who the coven worshipped (and that was, admittedly, quite the elephant in the room, every single day), arcane studies were always relevant. To read every book in the academy's library would take thousands of years, including as it did the knowledge and experiences of millions of authors (both of this realm and others) across multiple millennia, but at least some portion of that had to be attempted, for witches to continue to thrive. Powerful spellcasters were essential, and the academy was desperately in need of staff, to replace those who had been lost in Blackwood's heinous massacre. The sooner the senior students could shake off the frivolous desires of youth and commit to the furtherance of witch culture, the better.

No sooner had she picked up her red-inked quill to leave a criticism on the essay before her, than the thing fell from her grip, as in her peripheral vision, the air bent and resolved itself into a dark figure. She whipped up her head and brought the figure into focus: there, her hair dishevelled and eyes barely biting back terror, was Lilith.

In a regret-filled heartbeat, she recognised that look as being identical to that night in very recent memory, when Lilith had come to her for sanctuary. And in the self-possession of her responsibilities and personal concerns, Zelda had turned her away. To survive or not survive, as the Fates willed it.

And she had survived. With, as Zelda understood it, painful sacrifices of freedom and dignity. She had not had the heart to communicate with the coven's erstwhile patron since that night, and it seemed that Lilith had not the desire either. Which was hardly surprising.

So what had brought her here, looking so fearful despite her usual elegant poise?

“Madam... _Lilith_ ,” she had corrected herself before misspeaking, as Hilda had informed her of the woman's newly-found contempt for the title of 'Madam Satan', and speaking to her strictly on a first name basis in front of a room-full of students would be quite improper. “Whatever is going on?”

Lilith raised her jaw, regarded the students each in turn with a regal bearing which made clear she still expected them to see her as an exalted being.

“Unfortunately, I come to you with tidings of disaster. And unless you do exactly as I say, every single one of you could end up dead, within a day.”

Zelda stood up quickly, rounded her desk. “ _Dead_? Is this some kind of threat?”

“It's not a threat, Ms Spellman. It's a promise. Woe betide any witch who steps foot outside of these walls. You must seal every entrance, bar every window. And pray to whatever deity would deign to spend their precious time worrying about you.”

Zelda heard the spite in those words, and owned it; but she also heard the honesty: Lilith was not toying with them, she was giving them the grace of a warning.

“Tell us, then, Madam Lilith: what is it that approaches? What can we, as a full coven, not take head-on with our magic at sufficient readiness?”

Lilith's blue eyes replied dolefully before her tight lips even opened.

“Let us speak in private. It would be for the best that I'm not required to field questions, as time is of the essence. And, _respectfully_ , I do not wish to find myself holed up here with all of you.”


	2. Chapter 2

iv

Once the door of her private study was shut, Zelda rounded on Lilith, to find that the woman had already seated herself atop the large antique desk, legs crossed at the knee. Finally confronted with the opportunity to explain her actions, she felt her throat grow dry and cleared it loudly, hoping to sound businesslike:

“Lilith, I— ”

“I don't have time for your apologies right now, Spellman,” Lilith's eyes bore into her, warning her off. “I was not being dramatic when I said that time was short.”

“Then... I hope we shall have another opportunity to speak soon. There are... many things I need to say to you. Quite sincerely.”

“Well, if you're very fortunate, you might get that chance. That is, should I be in a generous enough mood to entertain you.”

Zelda knew that the sharp tone and resentment was justified, but she nonetheless hated to be shut down, and would normally insist upon being heard. But now that the coven was apparently at stake once more, their protection must come first. As it always would.

She met Lilith's eyes, merely nodded her assent.

Lilith gestured to Zelda's right hand, bearing the object she had grabbed while exiting the room. “You'll want that sending stone to catch everything I'm about to say. You'll not want to get any of this wrong.”

Zelda pursed her lips in understanding, and whispered a few words close to the stone, so that its surface seemed to grow liquid, and placed it down beside Lilith.

“A great beast has awoken,” she began, “and upon waking, it finds itself ravenous. Its food, unfortunately for all of us, is magic. More specifically, the magic which is melded to the life force of spellcasters, human and inhuman alike.”

Zelda frowned deeply as she cast her mind through the reams of demonic literature she had absorbed since childhood, turning up some memories of magic-syphoning fiends, though most were easily taken down with enough casters at hand. “What sort of demon are we speaking of? ”

Lilith made a noise in her throat, and it sounded vaguely mocking. “It is not a demon. Rather, it is a vast abomination, which defies description by human language. To compare it to a demon, would be to compare a mortal babe to a god. Over time, it has been called שתיין של קסם, _Gulosus de Magia_ , the Drunkard of Magic... There is no out-running it, nor fighting it. Our only choice is to hide, and wait for the time to pass.”

“But if it's so powerful, how do we hide from it?” Her blood had begun to run cold, but she refused to show it, merely dug her black-painted fingernails into her palms, hidden behind her folded arms.

“The creature does not hunt for itself. It cannot move. And even if it could, it is far too gigantic to fit through any portal to this plane. Instead, it sends a hoard of creatures, _seekers_ , and it is they who hunt down the witches, the mages... the cursed, blessed and demon-possessed. Anyone with the tiniest scent of magic upon them. And once the seekers discover them, they are snared with a force not unlike being caught up in brambles, which pierces the prey and draws out their magic, their soul, and every last breath of life. Leaving only dust.”

Zelda was no longer able to conceal her alarm, nor to keep the unbidden images of her nearest and dearest struck down by this terrible fate from assailing her mind's eye.

“Then how do we hide from these seekers?”

Lilith offered her the boon of a soft smile against her visible dread.

“That, thankfully, is not difficult. You see, they lack vision, in the mortal sense. They seek by feeling the vibrations which magic leaves in the air. Like bloodhounds. Spellcasting will draw them from miles away, and teleportation will leave them a glowing path to the caster's final destination. The only saving grace is that they are unable to pass through walls. They are as solid as you or I.” She fixed Zelda with a steely blue gaze and spoke in a commanding tone which felt impossible to disobey. “You must not fight. You must not run. You must only hide, and wait.”

“Of... course. We shall stay here and await further news. Only... how long?”

Lilith sighed. “I cannot say. I've only lived through this once before, and that was when this nexus of a town had yet to be populated by so many juicy morsels for the draining. But their lord is not a forgiving one, should they return home empty-handed. Therefore, it is in their interests to be thorough. It could be days. But more than likely, weeks.”

“Weeks...” she processed the information soberly, understanding that there was nothing to be done but accept the restriction. Anything was preferable to that sort of death. Inwardly she shook herself firm, and regarded Lilith with strength she did not feel. “I understand. Thank you, Lilith. You didn't have to save our coven, but you've given us a chance.”

“You're right, I didn't.” The First Witch would not engage with the warmth Zelda had attempted to extend, but rather focussed on the sending stone.

“I assume that is connected to your sister.”

“Yes,” Zelda lied, without knowing exactly why she had done so; what difference would it make to Lilith, after all, to know that she was using the stone's daily ability to communicate with its twin in New Orleans?

“Then I shall take my leave of you.”

As Lilith slid to her feet, a realisation shook Zelda: “Sabrina!”

Lilith raised an eyebrow, her mouth twisting into a scowl. “What of her?”

“She'll be at the school, at Baxter High. The term ends today, and she told me she intended to stay afterwards with her friends.”

Lilith's scowl grew perplexed, as though the information made no sense to her. “What? That's impossible. I saw her just a few hours ago. She was in Hell.”

“Forgive me, but you must be mistaken, she was quite definitely at the school. Hilda went by earlier on an errand and spoke to her.” Anxiety mounting, she was unable to maintain a level tone, was ashamed to find herself begging. “Lilith, please! You must go to her, bring her back here.”

Lilith's eyes widened, and she baulked at the request. “There is no time, Spellman. Every instant I waste talking to you, the tear between realms widens; there will be no teleporting once that occurs. And I have my own skin to think of, as usual. I will not be risking it for her.”

“Then run back to Hell,” Zelda snapped before she could stop herself. “I'll risk it. Just... just lend me the power for the extra distance, it's too far to do on my own.”

Lilith glared at the ground, her upper lip snarled. “I cannot. Hell has been sealed. Lucifer will wait out the storm, and if that means I should perish out here, it's a sacrifice he is willing to make.”

“Then where were you going to go?”

Either Lilith did not know or she was not going to reveal it to Zelda, and so she pressed on:

“ _Please_ , Lilith. I know you have no reason to do this for me, but if it means anything to you... she's my child. And as dreadful and cruel as she can be... I could not live with myself if I did not do everything in my power to protect her.”

Her earnest words fell against Lilith and by the lack of movement on the woman's face, Zelda feared that they had fallen on deaf ears. But then, from deep within her chest, the First Witch spoke:

“Fine. I'll go to her, Zelda Spellman. But you? The next time I need something, on your honour... you will _not_ refuse me.”

An immense weight left Zelda's chest and she found herself nodding enthusiastically, hiding the emotion in her eyes by looking down at the pine flooring. “You have my word. And my great thanks. Lilith, I—” But when she attempted to make eye contact, she found that she was alone in the room.

She put a shaking hand to her face, attempted to cool the anxious heat of her cheeks.

“Thank you. My Lady.”


	3. Chapter 3

v

Hilda Spellman turned away from the cappuccino machine as she heard the bell over the door chime. “Oh, welcome back, love! Excellent timing.” Quickly she shaped the froth into a fluffy heart, then used a toothpick to shape the letters H and R in the centre. As the man known around Greendale as Doctor Cerberus reached the bar, Hilda finished writing his name in affectionate cursive on the cup, topped the two 'i's with hearts.

He smiled warmly at her, took her free hand and drew it to his mouth for a demure kiss. “Hello my dear, how's the life of a busy Frankenstein's Monstress been today?”

She giggled at the words and gesture. “Oh, fine, fine, my good sir. Just keeping the ol' eyes open for any dodgy customers. Goblins, ghouls...” she lowered her voice with a grin, leaned in closer, “ _witches_. And the like.”

“That's my girl. Oh, what's this?” He took the proffered cup, turned it to read the text with feigned confusion: “Ritchie? Who might that be, my dear?”

Hilda beamed, resting with her arms propped against the bar. “Just about the sweetest man I've ever had the pleasure to know. And I happen to have it on very good authority that he likes his cappuccinos extra hot, with a shot of vanilla and hazelnut syrup.”

“Does he now?” He nodded solemnly. “He sounds like a man of great taste. Perhaps I should lighten your load and deliver this to the distinguished gentleman.”

“Oh, would you? I'd appreciate that very much. And perhaps you could pass on a message for me as well?”

He raised an eyebrow, considering the request. “All right, I'll bear the imposition. What shall I tell him?”

Hilda's cheeks had grown rosy from all the smiling and the glow was audible in her words. “Tell him that I love him very much and hope he has a wonderful meeting with the book dealer. And that I hope he finds a lot of fun and spooky books.”

“Hm. That's quite a message. I'll see if I can remember it all.” He tipped his head at her, sealed the cup with its plastic lid. “I will report back to you later, madam. Thank you for this most excellent fuel!”

Hilda beamed after him, so focussed that she jolted when the phone rang beside her. Wiping the possibility of coffee off on her skirt quickly, she picked up the receiver.

“Cerberus Books, how may I help you?”

“Hilda. Are you indoors?”

“I am, it's... it's only three o'clock, Zelds, I'll be here for hours yet.”

“Good. Stay there. Under no circumstances are you to leave the store.”

“Um. Why? I mean, I wasn't going to, it's just me and Dr Cee today, so I can't just—”

“I've no time to explain right now, you must simply do as I say. Lilith has told me something terrible is coming, and I will tell you everything when I can. But Hilda, you must promise me. Swear that you will not leave the confines of the store. You must not go outside. No matter what you see or hear. Do you understand?”

Hilda's eyes were wide and the fervour of Zelda's desperate words had set her heart racing. When she spoke again, it was in a hush, the receiver cupped close to her face: “I understand. But... what will I tell the customers? There are at least ten people in here right now, and more on their way since school is out.”

“Don't concern yourself with them.”

“Zelda! If there's something coming, I can't just throw the mortals out there to suffer! You of all people should know—”

Zelda's voice came back croakier than usual, as anxiety tightened her throat. “The threat is not to mortals, Hilda. It is only us. Witches. Magic users.”

“Magic... users...”

“Yes. Beings with magic in their veins. The mortals will be fine. Now, I must go, the coven needs my help to prepare. I shall contact you as soon as I can.”

“All right. Thank you... I'll... I'll speak to you then...” Hilda's voice grew quiet, trailed off as thoughts rushed behind her eyes. 

And then the door chimed once more and her head shot up. Almost as quickly, she rushed out from behind the bar, hand out-stretched and giving no care to what the customers might think as she shouted after the man who she would marry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to my previous efforts at de-traumatizing Mary, this fic takes place in the same universe as ["Answers for Mary"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22459033?view_full_work=true). For all that that implies.

vi

“All I'm saying is— _woah_ , easy, Harv, easy,” Theo shot a playfully scolding glance over his shoulder, as Harvey nodded and squatted down to hold the ladder more securely. Theo stretched up again with the rag, going for the dust in the deepest crevices of the window-frame. “All I'm _saying_ , is that a chainsaw may look cool, but it's all flash and no substance, and it probably weighed a ton! Plus, it's only good for close combat.”

“Exactly. _Exactly_!” Roz added, pausing in her sweeping to gesture excitedly. “If he _really_ wanted to effectively mow down the deadites, he should have used the boomstick!”

“Yeah, just tape that thing to his bloody stump!” laughed Theo, almost losing his footing once again.

“How would that even work?” Sabrina called, without turning away from the blackboard, where she laboriously washed away inch by inch of chalk residue. “I mean, a chainsaw's got that big... _engine_ thingie, so you can see how he could wedge that on, but a shotgun is all long and thin at the back, how're you gonna attach that, just like tie it on with some duct tape?”

Harvey grinned down at the floor. “Brina, it's Evil Dead, I don't think we're supposed to be—”

“No, but Harvey, consider this,” Roz interrupted him, lifting the broom handle to position it over her forearm. “If the nerves that run from about this point could be... um... if you just...”

“Losing a bit of steam there, Roz?” chuckled Theo, turning around with a hand on the window-bolt to support himself. Then the smile fell from his face and he took a stumbling leap off the ladder, causing Harvey to jolt backwards in alarm.

Jumping up from his messy crouch, Theo rushed over to where Roz stood, stiff as a board, her eyes staring into unknown distances, reaching her just as her legs buckled beneath her. Try as he might, Theo could not keep her upright, and had to settle for supporting her descent, as Harvey caught up, taking some of the slack.

“Hey, Roz! Hey, what's wrong?”

Sabrina had turned at the sound of Theo's landing, and sprinted across the room, kneeling down beside Roz and balled her jacket into a makeshift pillow for her friend's head. “Roz, listen, are you having a vision?”

Theo caught Sabrina's eyes with a look that said it should be pretty obvious that that was the situation.

Harvey was gripping his girlfriend's hand in both of his, trying to keep her connected, as she began to jerk about.

“She's having a seizure,” Sabrina informed them. “Has this happened before?”

Harvey frowned, trying to recall, but Theo only shook his head with certainty. “Never, this is totally new!”

“Okay, uh, okay what would Aunt Hilda say, um, wait, I think we're supposed to put something between her teeth, so she doesn't bite her tongue or something?”

“Don't you do anything of the sort,” Mary Wardwell said firmly, hurrying in from the corridor. “Not unless you want to choke the poor girl.” She knelt down beside Sabrina, carefully put a hand to Roz's head. “Rosalind? Can you hear me? Please focus on my voice. This will be over soon.”

Though her voice seemed sure of it, the look on the teacher's face told a different story entirely.

Presently, though, the gentle pressure from her hand supporting Roz's head and protecting her face from harm, the jerking calmed, and the girl's eyes returned to the classroom. At first she seemed completely confused, then her face crinkled up, tears breaking out across her eyes. She looked up at Mary, then at Sabrina, searching. Harvey squeezed her hand again, and she rolled to look at him, her eyes showing some relief, as she tried to speak, to explain what had happened.

But she could not seem to find the words. Her lips tried again and again, false starts sounding in her throat, and fear became more and more pronounced across her features.

Harvey pulled her hand to his chest. “Roz, it's okay, don't worry. You can tell us later. Just... just try to relax, okay?”

She frowned her eyes shut, pushing out a tear from each, pressed her lips together and nodded.

Mutely, everyone waited. Watching and listening, letting Roz lead the way for what she needed. And eventually, she rolled onto her side, Mary withdrawing her hand, and steadied herself on her raised elbow. She let her head hang for a moment, then steeled herself and opened her eyes, raised her face to look straight at Mary.

“I'm okay,” she managed to whisper.

Mary nodded, then looked over at Harvey. “Please fetch her some water, Mr Kinkle. There's a fresh jug in the teachers' lounge. And see if Nurse is still on the property.”

Harvey was up before she had even finished speaking, his footfalls scuffing out into the corridor.

Then Mary regarded Theo and Sabrina. “While Ms Walker recovers, could either of you please fill me in on this episode, do you know of a pre-existing medical condition? Or... do you have any idea what may have led to the seizure? What were you doing when it happened?”

Roz said nothing, happy to take her time recuperating while Sabrina began to explain.

“We were just cleaning, Roz had the broom and—”

“And then she froze up and fell down,” Theo inserted. “Then she started shaking and couldn't talk. It's like she couldn't even hear us.”

Mary raised her eyebrows, concern unrestrained on her expressive features. “And you have no idea what could have caused it?”

Sabrina and Theo exchanged glances, and Sabrina spoke first. “No, we don't. I think we need to call Roz's dad, maybe he knows something about a condition? Maybe something she never told us about.”

“ _Brina_ ,” Theo rebuked her, “Just tell Ms Wardwell. It's not like she doesn't know about weird stuff happening around here.”

Mary tilted her head, newly alert at the possible implications. “By all means, Sabrina, tell me what you know. Please. For Ms Walker's sake.”

Sabrina was clearly reluctant, but Theo's glares were boring into her cheek. “Well, actually, Ms Wardwell, Roz is kind of... special. She's... sometimes she sees things, that other people can't. And they can leave her really shaken at times. But it's never been this bad before. She usually just snaps out of it.”

Mary's eyes unfocussed as she sorted through memories of volumes in her mind. “Some sort of clairvoyance? Yes, I've read of instances like this, over the years. Come to think of it, mention of the Walker family did often come up... some talk of a... a _curse_ or...”

“A cunning,” murmured Roz, straightening herself up into a half-kneel. “They call it The Cunning. And it showed me something...” Her lips had begun to tremble and she lifted a hand to press fingers against them, still them enough to continue speaking. “Something... so _horrible_... I can't even... hold the image in my mind. It's just... flashes of... these _things_ I can't describe. They're...”

“They're coming,” said a grim voice from the doorway, and all heads turned to gape at the First Witch. “And there's nothing we can do to stop them.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to my previous efforts at de-traumatizing Mary, this fic takes place in the same universe as ["Answers for Mary"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22459033?view_full_work=true). For all that that implies.

vii

“Lilith,” breathed Mary, surprised but no more than that.

The eyes of all three teens shot from Lilith to their teacher.

“You _know_ her?” exclaimed Sabrina in disbelief, and something vaguely like annoyance.

“I... I do,” admitted Mary, her eyes flitting only briefly across her students, before returning to the doorway. “We've recently become acquainted. After certain... happenings... in my life.”

Alarm flashed across Sabrina's face and she stood up. “What sort of 'happenings'?”

An impatient sound from Lilith interrupted the girl's bristling, though, as she strode into the room.

“There is absolutely no time for that right now. I am here on an errand to inform you, quite against my better judgement, that you must return to your Aunt Zelda at the academy, effective immediately. There is a great threat to every witch in Greendale, which is approaching with terrifying speed, just as your talented Ms Walker has seen.” Hands placed upon her hips, she cocked her head at Roz. “I'm sorry to have to tell you this, my dear, but you'll likely go mad in the very near future.”

Roz's eyes widened. “Wha... what? _Why_?”

“Well, mortal minds aren't quite as resilient as some. They do have a tendency to _melt_ when confronted with the inexplicable horrors of extra-planar beings.”

Theo leapt to his feet beside Sabrina, bent forward with the tension in his gut. “What can we do to help her?”

“Oh, nothing at all, I'm afraid,” Lilith said dismissively, casting her eyes around the room as though searching for fire exits. “That's just the way of the world.”

“No, that can't be true!” insisted Sabrina. She dropped into a crouch to wrap her hands around Roz, whose eyes were processing the information with increasing panic. “Lilith, you've got to help her.”

At that moment, Harvey returned, holding three bottles of water in his arms. When he saw the first witch, standing right in front of her false twin, he went mute, froze in place to see the situation play out.

Lilith barely responded, apparently listening to the wind outside for fluctuations. Then her focus snapped back to the room, when an earnest voice spoke from behind her, and she turned to find that Mary had stood also:

“Please, is there nothing you can do? I know how powerful you are, if anyone can help her, it's you.”

Lilith's chest heaved with the weight of her sigh. “Why must I always play nursemaid to mortals,” she muttered, though when her cool eyes met Mary's, they were gentler than her voice would have suggested.

Mary clasped her hands before her. “Thank you.”

“Thank me later. Ms Walker will keep, and Sabrina,” she turned back to the half-witch, who still maintained an aggressive stance, “you need to leave. I'll help you teleport to the academy, but we must leave _now_.”

“No, I'm not leaving my friends. Tell me what's coming!”

“Death!” Lilith stated, anxiety given free-rein in the lines overtaking her features. “Creatures from another plane who collect the essence of magic users, and bring it to their master, an incalculably large being whose complexity and scope could not be processed by your limited grey-matter! Our only choice is to take refuge and wait out their patrols, until they get what they need or give up. And I very much doubt you'll want to be stuck in school for the next few weeks.” She gestured Sabrina forward with a rolling of her hands. “Now come!”

“Wait, _weeks_?” She scowled in defiance. “We can't hide for weeks! We have to fight them!”

Lilith rolled her eyes, her own barely-contained dread leaving no more room for patience. “If you try to fight, you'll die. Slowly and agonizingly. And there will be no soul left to float itself to whatever _reward_ you might be expecting.”

Theo cleared his throat, even so his voice coming out with a crack: “Are they going to eat us too? 'Cause... I don't think we can survive on snacks from the vending machine until school re-opens.” Unlike Sabrina, he was already considering the possibility that they would have to become quick survivalists.

“No, they have no interest in your dull blood,” she intoned flatly. “You won't even be able to see them. Their forms confuse the human brain to such a degree that it rejects their very existence. You're free to come and go as you please.”

Theo nodded, relieved by that knowledge at least, but then moved onto his next concern: “And you said they want people with magic in them. Does... does that include Roz?”

Still in Sabrina's hug, Roz peered up at Lilith with a mixture of hope and dread.

Lilith took a moment to consider the question. “It's hard to say for certain, but it's possible that any legitimate precognition residing in a mortal spirit could perhaps draw their attention.” She glanced over at Harvey. “Best keep your girlfriend in-doors for the duration.”

Harvey had made sense of the conversation as best he could. “So these monsters can't come inside? Like, they won't see us through the windows?”

“They seek by taste and touch. To snare their prey, their tendrils must be within physical reach, and that reach cannot pass through solid matter.”

“T... tendrils?” Mary's eyes had gained a sudden sheen, and she seated herself upon her desk, arms crossed tight against her midsection.

Lilith spared her a nod of the head and a sympathetic grimace.

“Fine,” said Sabrina, “Roz can come with me, and you can heal her once we're at the academy.” She stood, carefully helping her friend up as well.

Then Lilith stumbled, as though she alone had been standing on an active fault line, and brought a shaking hand to her blanched forehead. “ _No_.” Her eyes enormous, she stared at Sabrina with fear-infused fury. “It's too late. They're here.”


	6. Chapter 6

viii

From the depths of the sending stone, which had been recently voided of its recording, Mambo Marie's pensive voice continued, unaffected by the vast distance between them.

"The signs I have been given, it does appear that they align with the words of your Lilith. And speaking of myself, I had such a sensation when I stood in your great hall, that filled me with fear that I could not put into meaningful words.”

Zelda frowned, recalling the time where Marie had marshalled the hedge-witches, uniting them against a common enemy. "Why then did you not say anything to me? At that time?"

She could hear the patient smile in Mambo Marie's reply. "I barely knew you, _ma chérie_. And you must admit, you were not at your most welcoming, eh?"

"Yes... I'm sorry. You're quite right."

"But to put this to one side, even so it is not my way to sound alarms when I do not know their true source. It was only a feeling, that prickled my neck. But now I understand: that feeling, it was not just your little green town, but something that would come for your people. Because your town, it is a—"

"A nexus, yes, I know. Lilith called it that as well."

A pause, then Marie's voice returned with a softer tone, and it seemed that she was somehow being chided. "That woman, she is deeply afraid. Maybe it is not my place, _Chouboulout_ , but I will say it anyway: she has been thrown out, n'est pas? By your coven. Because she did not neatly fit into the hole you needed to fill."

"Marie, I intended nothing of the sort. You were there, you know what we were up against. And she did exhibit the behaviour one would have expected from someone whom we had exalted as our patron.”

"Maybe you did not mean to do it, but... you punished her, no? For being who she is, rather than,” she chuckled, "the Devil you knew?"

Zelda's lips grew taut, and she knew she must not make further excuses. Not when she had such vivid memories of Lilith's terrified eyes, that night when Zelda had had no time for the desperation of any woman other than herself.

"Perhaps you're right. And I... fully intend to speak to her. When all of this is over. But for now... promise me that you will stay far away, and keep Prudence and Ambrose from returning."

"They have agreed to stay, although they are straining to leave. But I will keep them here for you, no matter what it takes."

A sigh of relief left Zelda's chest, deeply grateful to have someone she could rely on, someone she respected as a fellow spiritual leader, and as a woman of dignity and great intellect. Now she could trust that her family was safe. As long as everyone obeyed her commands, it would be all right. And no witch would have to die. Not on her watch, and not to such a horrific fate as Lilith had described.

"Thank you. Marie, I..."

_'I miss you,'_ sat on her tongue, but her pride would not allow it. Especially not in this time of crisis. Instead she continued to run her fingers over the sending stone, imagining the warm from Marie's slender hands, the firm embrace into which they had pulled her, more than once.

"I shall inform you at soon as I know more. Although, even if I have nothing else to convey, perhaps we should speak again tomorrow. In order to touch base. If you are amenable to the idea, of course.”

Again that audible, knowing smile. " _Mais oui_ , Zelda. I will look forward to your voice."

"Good. Then, I will be in touch. Until tomorrow, Marie."

"Until then, Directrix Zelda. Stay strong, eh?" And the voice was gone, the stone's glow fading dull. Zelda gripped it tighter, as she puzzled out where her attention should be directed next. There could be no slowing down. Not yet. And not for quite some time, it would seem.

ix

As it turned out, Hilda had not needed to rush, as mere feet out of the door, her fiancé had flinched, as though at a loud noise, and frozen in place. Then, as though dizzied and lost, he stumbled back into the doorway.

“Dr Cee?” She had gone to him quickly, taken his hand and led him to the backroom where they would relax together after work. Once they were both seated on the couch, his hands warmly held in hers where they sat in his lap, Hilda peered into his bewildered eyes. “What made you rush back?”

“I'm... not actually sure. It wasn't a choice I made. But, now that I think about it, I suppose it felt like a choice that was made _for_ me. By...” he waved a hand around his head and torso, in the way he normally indicated that he was talking about his unwelcome supernatural body-mate.

Hilda nodded. “That makes sense. A demon would know...”

“Would know what?”

She frowned at their hands, then withdrew to sit up straighter, wanting to be as useful as possible with the limited information she had. “My sister called, just as you were leaving. She didn't tell me much, but... she said something terrible was coming. And hearing her voice, well... you wouldn't know just to listen to her, because she's very controlled, my sister, doesn't let a stray word slip out, not an unintentional morsel... but I could hear it, and... she was panicking. In her own way. Someone put the fear of Satan into her and she'd gone into that 'got to keep it together' mode. Where she's one hundred percent focussed on the perfect response.”

Richard was watching her lips move, nodding along to indicate that he was following, but at the same time his hand had shifted to clutch at his gut, not in pain but in an attempt to hold back the surging presence that wanted in on the conversation.

“It... it knows,” he explained, with growing hoarseness. “It's frightened.”

Hilda rejoined their hands, leaned in so that their foreheads touched. “So am I. But we'll stay inside, and we'll be all right. Zelda said so. All we have to do is stay indoors.”

“All right. I'll try to, uh,” he forced out a semblance of humour, “convince the nasty stowaway. Get him to pipe down a bit, before he makes bratwurst of my internal organs!”

Hilda patted his stomach, though they both knew the demon did not in fact exist in a physical way, within the man's body, but rather was bonded to his spirit like layers of black mould.

“Perhaps a little distraction for him, then?” She rested her hands upon his knees and leaned in for a kiss, first upon his cheek, then slowly, affectionately, upon the lips.

Somewhat steadied, they stood with clasped hands, and walked side by side back into the public eye.

“Last orders, my dears,” announced Hilda. “We'll be needing to close early today.”


	7. Chapter 7

x

Her back pointedly turned on the threat promised by the classroom's broad windows, as Mary set about pulling down the blinds, Lilith regarded Sabrina with undisguised bile.

“It is quite tragic how unsurprised I am, to find myself once more painted into a corner by your obstinacy. If you'd only stayed in,” she briefly glanced over her shoulder at Mary, then lowered her voice to a hiss, “ _Hell_ , like you were this morning... Well.” She paused to cool her tone, folded her arms and lifted her chin. “You'd best write your aunt Zelda a very long and heartfelt letter about how grateful you are, that she's so very talented at garnering my _limited_ sympathy.”

For her part, Sabrina made no attempt at speaking under her breath, raised her voice in fact. “I'm sorry, Lilith, but I really don't know what you're talking about. I've been in school all day.” She reached out a palm to her friends, inviting confirmation. “Haven't I?”

The three agreed, with a series of gestures that nonetheless betrayed some unease, given Lilith's anger.

Sabrina then called over to her teacher. “Ms Wardwell? I've been here since first period, right?”

Brushing the dust of the window blinds off on her skirt, Mary responded as she moved towards her desk. “You have.” Then to Lilith: “I don't mean to contradict you, but... Sabrina came to me after home room to offer her services for the end-of-term clean-up. And I've seen her several times throughout the day.”

“Well,” breathed Lilith, distrust plain in her every word, “isn't that interesting.”

It didn't make sense.

And Lilith hated when things didn't make sense.

A lack of certainty had the distressing tendency to lead to pain.

 _Her_ pain.

She turned her back on the rest of the teenagers and Mary, narrowed her eyes at Sabrina:

“I don't know what you're up to, but rest assured, I _will_ find out. And when I do, you may find that even being the precious daughter of Satan himself will not protect you. I do not appreciate children thinking they can play me for a fool.”

Sabrina raised her eyebrows as though she had just been indulging the rantings of a lunatic. “Sure, Lilith, I'll definitely keep that in mind.” She glanced past to her friends, made a goofy face to emphasize how entirely bewildered she was by the threat.

Lilith closed her eyes and pulled back the snarl from her lip, took a deep breath and straightened her spine with dignity. “Well,” she said with forced lightness and a smile which reached nowhere near her eyes. “I'm so glad we understand each other.” She turned to cast her gaze across at the desk, where Mary was pretending to busy herself. “Ms Wardwell, a word, if I may?”

xi

Lilith paced down the corridor, Mary just barely matching her, the educator's heart rapping jarringly in her chest, less from exertion and more from the further information Lilith had bestowed upon her.

“What, um... what are we... going to do if somebody... sees you? Sees... _us_?”

Lilith dismissed the question with a wave. “Perhaps they'll have an aneurysm on the spot.”

“Lilith!”

“Don't sound so shocked. It's a better death than I'll ever have. Positively enviable.”

“ _Lilith!_ Please!”

An agitated sigh, and the First Witch brought them to a halt, placed her hands upon her hips. “Fine. I'll wipe their memories, they won't remember a precious thing.”

While the idea of losing memories was still a highly stressful concept to Mary, every single time she heard it, in this case she was able to perceive it as a legitimate mercy and shaped a look of gratitude upon her anxious face.

“All right, that's... that's something. Do we need to keep walking, or... can we go back? It's just, I woke up really early this morning, I was having trouble sleeping again, so, um, I've just been really tired and...” She trailed off, looked down in embarrassment at her shaking legs.

Lilith, who hardly ever seemed to suffer the punishments of human exertion, followed her gaze and scowled, not at Mary but herself.

“You should go home. I'm afraid I can't teleport you, but there's no reason for both of us to be stuck here. And most definitely not for the duration of this accursèd lockdown.”

“I appreciate that, but no. I couldn't leave you here alone. And especially not if Rosalind and Sabrina are unable to leave; it's my responsibility to take care of them. Not to mention, somebody has to explain to Rosalind's father why she'll not be home.”

“Oh just tell him she received a visitation from the angels and they told her to spend the break tending to the sick in,” she twirled her wrists, as though conjuring ideas, “Yemen or Kenya or something.”

“Kenya?” Mary gave her a quietly amused smile. “I'll have to come up with something. But what about Sabrina? Given your feelings for the girl, dare I even—”

“She still has no idea, does she? That I've told you. Everything.”

Mary averted her eyes, as unbidden images flooded in, sensations of her body constricted and her emotions running cold. “No... I haven't told her.”

“No, I shouldn't think you would have. Rather you'll be pretending to be none-the-wiser of her cruel nature, and allowing her to play the innocent darling she so firmly believes herself to be.”

Mary was suddenly even more weary, and she moved to sit at the foot of the nearby stairs, knees drawn up before her. Her voice, when it came, had gone very quiet. “It's not as though it's easy for me. I've snapped at her many times, and had to come up with some reason to explain myself.” She leaned forward to rest her face in her hands. “All the students must think me very short-tempered of late.”

“You've every reason to be.”

Mary spoke through her palms. “They don't know that.”

“Some of them most certainly do.”

She slid her face further down, and muffled her voice even more. “Lilith, you're not helping.”

“Then what will you have me do?” When Mary's raised countenance told Lilith the truth of her tone, she altered it to something gentler, and rephrased: “That is to say, if you are quite adamant on staying here with me, to... _safeguard_ the children, as we wait out the doom-laden storm...” her eyes shifted to the windows, blue depths electrified by the frayed power-lines of knowledge. “Then what exactly shall I do to make that stay... easier. Upon you.”

Affection came easily to Mary's face, at Lilith's awkward display of concern, and she beckoned the First Witch over, indicated that she should sit beside her. Once Lilith had relented and done so (despite having to sully the seat of her dress upon the far-from-pristine step), Mary rested her head upon her shoulder.

“You can start by healing Rosalind's mind. It would be very upsetting were she to lose her senses, especially as you have the power to prevent it.”

Lilith made no move to return the fondness of Mary's touch, but the mere fact that she lingered read as more or less equal, in Mary's experience.

“Then I will do so. It does seem sensible to have somebody who can distract Sabrina, as frequently as possible. Perhaps we can furnish Ms Walker with a laser pointer.”

Mary stifled a laugh and slapped Lilith's leg glancingly. “Thank you. And...” She sought out Lilith's hand, pulled it into her lap. “When this is over? Maybe... maybe we can still have a vacation. If only a brief one.”

From far away, but still within reach for Mary, Lilith's voice came.

“I must admit... it's tempting.”


End file.
